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Ahead of this weekend's SummerSlam pay-per-view, many fans have wondered if there has been any WWE Superstar better than Asuka during the Pandemic Era. Asuka has screamed, laughed and danced her way into hearts of the WWE Universe over the last few months.
She has remained one of the best performers in the company and seemed to have been rewarded for her great work when she won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, and then the RAW Women’s Championship. It seemed like the beginning of a well-deserved, long title reign. It seemed that way until Sasha Banks challenged Asuka.
Sasha Banks literally stole the title from Asuka at Extreme Rules, and then won the Raw Women’s title from Asuka on RAW. Can Asuka get revenge on Sunday night?
So what can truly happen on Sunday at SummerSlam? These are two of the best wrestlers in the WWE today, and they should be able to put on a great match on such a big stage.
Of course, most of us assume these matches will not be without some outside interference. As we look forward to one of the key matches of SummerSlam, here are the top five potential finishes for Asuka versus Sasha Banks:
#5 Sasha Banks retains the RAW Women’s Title clean at SummerSlam
We might as well start with the least likely of possible options. Sasha Banks has been pretty great during the Performance Center Era of the WWE. She seems to be enjoying working with her friend Bayley, as they cheat their way to multiple title victories. But can Banks do it alone?
Sasha Banks defeating Asuka in a clean match without cheating would be pretty surprising. It would allow her cocky heel persona to truly grow, and face off against new opponents in the RAW Women’s Division.
Since Sasha Banks hasn’t had a lot of success winning her title defenses over the years, this finish would be an interesting change of pace.
#4 Asuka wins the RAW Women’s Title clean at SummerSlam
As previously mentioned in this piece, Asuka has been pretty great in 2020 and seems to be truly enjoying herself. Since she has an interesting character to go with her great in-ring work, she seems overdue for a solid babyface title reign. That is why it has been frustrating to see her be made to look foolish throughout this entire feud. Sasha Banks and Bayley have cheated constantly to win all the major Women’s titles in recent months. That should change at SummerSlam.
Asuka picking up a clean pin fall victory would be a truly great moment. It would stop her from looking weak against the constantly cheating duo of Bayley and Sasha Banks. Since Asuka is actually a member of the RAW roster she could then move on to a great feud with the other talented members of the RAW Women’s Division.
Who wouldn't be ready to see her feud against the likes of Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler? As a wrestler doing the best work of her career, she deserves a clean victory over a major heel on a big pay-per-view stage like SummerSlam.
#3 A no-contest caused by Retribution at SummerSlam
It is safe to say that Retribution has had mixed reactions from the WWE audience so far, in their brief time on WWE programming. They have messed with the lights and destroyed the Performance Center on a few occasions, but it doesn’t seem like they have much of a plan other than to cause random chaos during Raw and Smackdown. That could change in a major way at SummerSlam.
We know that a few of the wrestlers in Retribution are female. Having these Superstars cause real chaos and ruin a highly anticipated match between Asuka and Sasha Banks would help the faction get back on track and make them truly hated by a majority of WWE fans.
While it may be frustrating to some pro wrestling fans to see a no-contest between Sasha Banks and Asuka, it could set-up some interesting and fresh feuds for the RAW Women’s title going forward. WWE could use this faction to get over a brand new female talent.
And it is safe to say that it's a better idea than destroying the ring and the Performance Center from time to time.
#2 Bayley helps Sasha Banks win at SummerSlam
Bayley and Sasha Banks have been truly entertaining/obnoxious heels in recent months in WWE. They have successfully cheated their way to all the major titles on the main roster, and have done so by finding new ways to cheat during each other’s matches. Bayley could very well continue this tactic on Sunday night at SummerSlam.
It would be frustrating to some WWE fans to see the heel duo find a way to cheat Asuka yet again, at SummerSlam. But that is what heels do - find ways to cheat and retain their titles. One cannot deny that Bayley and Sasha Banks have been quite effective in keeping the women's division strong during the absence of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch from the division.
It also leads to another interesting possibility. Bayley helping Sasha Banks cheat her way to victory doesn’t mean the reverse has to also be true. Imagine what could happen if Sasha retains by cheating but Bayley is not able to do so. The image of Sasha holding her RAW Women’s Championship while Bayley is without her title... that could be quite an interesting storyline going forward.
#1 Bayley costs Sasha Banks the match at SummerSlam
Bayley and Sasha Banks have dominated the Women’s division for most of the Pandemic Era. They have had a lot of success as a team during that time but teases of a break-up have been present for months. It certainly hasn’t helped that Bayley has used Sasha Banks at times to protect her Smackdown Women’s Title. It seems beyond time to begin the long overdue break-up at SummerSlam.
The great thing about this storyline is Bayley could cause Banks to lose her title in a number of different ways at SummerSlam. She could do it on purpose, as she grows sick of Sasha Banks stealing the limelight in the Women’s Division. But the more interesting way would seem to be if she accidentally costs Banks the match. She could try a distraction or use a weapon and hit her friend.
This would be even more awkward if Bayley retains her title but Sasha Banks does not. With the two set to defend their Women’s Tag Team titles next week at Payback, things could get really interesting. After months of teases, it seems like the right time for The Golden Role Models to begin to break up. SummerSlam would be a great place to start.
